Service Workers' Experience and Perceptions of Workplace Protective Measures During the Onset of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: The Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents a unique burden specifically for workers in service industries. However, limited research on service worker's experience during the onset of COVID-19 exists. We aimed to describe the experiences and concerns of service industry workers during the pandemic's onset. METHODS: This is a mixed-method study. Participants were recruited through social media and completed either a survey or a phone interview during May and June 2020. The survey and transcribed interview data were analyzed using the SPSS software and content analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Twenty-seven individuals completed audio-recorded phone interviews and 28 completed the survey. Participants were mostly women between 19 and 65 years old. Participants worked in food retail (n = 23), restaurant (n = 25), and hospitality (n = 7) industries. There was discordance in perceived threat level of COVID-19. Most participants reported that their workplace complied with their state's mandates for protection measures, while others reported lacking basic supplies such as soap, hand sanitizer, and masks. Job insecurity, change of job tasks, and work hours were the most common ways that COVID-19 affected the workers. Worker's assertiveness to self-protect while at work was influenced by their perceived severity of the pandemic. CONCLUSION/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: This study highlights the vulnerability of service workers relating to job security and job tasks during the pandemic. Organizational processes are needed to promote safe work environments and facilitate access to resources for these workers. In addition, occupational health practitioners need to be aware of and address the emerging health risks and worker needs.

Intervention needs among hotel employees and managers.

BACKGROUND: Hotel room cleaners are disproportionately exposed to hazards that increase risk for poor health outcomes. Interventions are needed to improve the health of these workers. Yet we know little about the expressed needs of hotel room cleaners nor do we know about managers' perspectives on how to best optimize employee health. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop an understanding of perceived intervention needs among hotel room cleaners and to assess managers' views on the acceptability of the proposed interventions. METHODS: We used a community-based approach to recruit study participants. We conducted five focus groups among hotel room cleaners and individual interviews with hotel managers. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The workers expressed needs centered on pay, workload, appreciation, ergonomics, chemical and biological hazards, nutrition, smoking cessation, exercise, mental health and stress management. In addition to echoing the workers' expressed needs, managers emphasized employee retention and financial literacy. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first paper to include both workers' and managers' accounts on intervention approaches that will optimize health and wellbeing. This paper offers a guide for future program development among hospitality workers. Effective interventions need to be integrated, encompassing the individual, intrapersonal, organizational, and policy levels.

COVID-19 and mental health of food retail, food service, and hospitality workers.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a detrimental toll on the lives of individuals globally. In addition to the direct effect (e.g., being infected with the virus), this pandemic has negatively ravaged many industries, particularly food retail, food services, and hospitality. Given the novelty of the disease, the true impact of COVID-19 remains to be determined. Because of the nature of their work, and the characteristics of the workers, individuals in the food retail, food service, and hospitality industries are a group whose vulnerability is at its most fragile state during this pandemic. Through this qualitative study, we explored workers' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and coping, including screening for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder symptoms. Twenty-seven individual interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four key themes emerged: being infected and infecting others, the unknown, isolation, and work and customer demands. Considering the many uncertainties of COVID-19, workers in these three industries were experiencing heightened levels of mental distress because of where they worked and the already existing disparities they faced on a daily basis before the pandemic started. Yet they remained hopeful for a better future. More studies are needed to fully understand the magnitude, short-term, and long-term effects of COVID-19. Based on this study's findings, programs are critically needed to promote positive coping behaviors among at-risk and distressed workers. Recommendations for employers, occupational health and safety professionals, and policy stakeholders to further support these service workers are discussed.

Interventions to promote hotel workers' health: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The hospitality industry employs millions of workers and is a key contributor to the US economy. Despite being essential drivers in the industry's success, hotel workers, particularly hotel housekeepers, are exposed to occupational hazards and experience disproportionate rates of injuries and chronic health conditions. Thus there is a significant need for health promotion efforts directed toward these workers. However, little is known about existing interventions targeting their health. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to identify and appraise workplace health promotion interventions targeting hotel employees. We performed a scoping review following the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Our literature search process was recorded using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Basic study information was compiled into a matrix table. Study quality was assessed using the template for intervention description and replication. RESULTS: Eight unique interventions were identified, occurring at over 30 hotels with participants ranging between 16 and 1207 employees. Though many of the reported health outcomes were not statistically significant, studies reported results with clinical implications, including decreased numbers of injury claims, reduced anxiety, improvements in cardiovascular disease risk indicators, such as body mass index, and increased knowledge among participants. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first review to interrogate the literature on existing workplace interventions targeting the health of hotel workers. While some studies found significant improvements in health outcomes, few conducted rigorous program evaluation. The results highlight the need for more and effective interventions targeting these at-risk workers.